How to decorate to make your home feel happy by Yinka Ilori
Using paint and pattern to feel good is second nature to Yinka Ilori. Here's his advice for embracing that spirit yourself


For style leaders and design lovers.
Thank you for signing up to LivingEtc. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
‘Home should be a place to really unwind and feel good in, somewhere that’s joyful,’ designer Yinka Ilori tells us. The designer is famed for his technicolor buildings and products, his happy approach to design, and for always being full of modern design ideas. ‘I'm attracted to color and pattern because I know they give me this positive feeling.’
‘The power of is color is that it can change your mood. I spend a lot of time bringing different shades and tones into my home to create moments of happiness and pleasure as I walk through my house – when I go into my kitchen, which has pink handmade tiles and green textiles, it instantly ups how I feel.’
Despite the bright palette he is famed for, it's not a rainbow hue that is currently caught Yinka's eye, but something a lot softer.
‘Right now, my go-to color (which I’m trying to push on everyone) is pastel pink,' Yinka says. 'It reminds me of palettes that my family wore and that I saw a lot growing up. For me it symbolizes love and unity and is very much a celebratory color, it’s warm and fun! I got heckled for wearing pink trousers while riding my bike the other day, but I like to flip color stereotypes. When you embrace the power of pink and what it does for your mental health, it's a magical color.’
Cushions by Yinka Ilori for OMI
Back to his trademark color riots, and Yinka is a fan of stripes and big motifs. ‘
'Pattern brings me a sense of joy and allows me to remember key moments or form new memories,' Yinka says. 'Pattern and color allow me to dream – yes, I'm at home in London but the way my house is decorated means I could be in Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria. It’s escapism.’
HIs final advice for anyone choosing to decorate with pattern, is to not go too off piste.
‘When bringing color and pattern into your home, think tones or shapes that make you remember a special moment or happy time,' he says. 'Pick a color that you feel that you can grow with, and be confident. A lot of people are scared of color and pattern in the home, but that’s what makes you say 'wow' and feel good.’
The Livingetc Newsletter
For style leaders and design lovers.
Amy Moorea Wong is a freelance interior design journalist with a decade of experience in contemporary print and digital editorial, previously News Editor at Livingetc. She writes on a broad range of modern design topics from news and interior zeitgeist to houses, architecture, travel and wider culture. She has a penchant for natural materials, surprising pops of colour and pattern and design with an eco edge.
-
-
'Gardening like the French' is the foolproof way to produce a large harvest in small gardens and backyards
If you want well-drained, well-aerated, and fertile soil to grow the healthiest vegetables, fruits, and flowers in the smallest of spaces, then French Intensive Gardening is a must-try
By Aditi Sharma Maheshwari Published
-
The 5 most energizing colors designers use for rooms that make you feel ready to take on the world
We are all over dopamine decor right now, so here's how to get an energy boost from your home's color scheme
By Hebe Hatton Published
-
What stress? Here's how your home renovation can be like therapy, according to an architect
A happy home begins with briefing your designer or architect. Here's how to put your wellbeing at the center of it, as explained by an architect
By Hugh Metcalf Published
-
3 secrets to displaying art in ways that make your home feel happy by Kit Kemp
Interior designer Kit Kemp knows a thing or two about gallery walls, and here are her secrets for making your home feel happy
By Amy Moorea Wong Published
-
The decor secrets to making your home a happier place to live by Martyn Lawrence Bullard
Interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard reveals the final flourishes that elevate a home and boost your mood, too
By Amy Moorea Wong Published
-
5 biophilic design ideas that can make your home a happier place to be
Expert ideas from Oliver Heath about how bringing the outside in can truly boost your mood
By Amy Moorea Wong Published
-
How to make your living room a happy place to be by Jonathan Adler
Fill your living room with happiness with these expert tips by Jonathan Adler
By Amy Moorea Wong Published
-
Paint your home happy with these expert tips by Kelly Wearstler
Use paint to fill your home with happiness with these mood boosting ideas by designer Kelly Wearstler
By Amy Moorea Wong Published
-
How to make your hallway feel happy by interiors expert Michelle Ogundehin
Add happiness to your hallway with Michelle Ogundehin's expert decorating tips
By Amy Moorea Wong Published